People in Plymouth urged to have a 'fire-safe Christmas' this year
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue has launched a series of festive songs sung by members of staff to highlight safety messages
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue are urging people to stay safe this Christmas.
Last year crews attended a fire in Yeovil, with one of the occupiers ending up in intensive care with severe burns.
Matt Murray, a Watch Manager, says to watch out for distractions:
"We just want everyone to be safe at Christmas. Having a fire at any time of the year is quite a devastating event but particularly at Christmas time, the practicalities of people having a fire it just hits home even more.
"Obviously when people are on-call and attending incidents, they want to be with their family too, but it's just about making sure that people are safe."
The service launched a series of festive songs sung by members of staff to highlight Christmas safety messages.
The songs, including jingle bells, walking in a winter wonderland, and rockin’ around the Christmas tree, all have had a re-vamp to remind us all how to have a safe Christmas.
The videos have been filmed by staff themselves and featuring a range of singers including firefighters, home safety technicians and business support staff.
One of the singers is an on-call firefighter and Elvis impersonator, whilst another is a wedding singer is his spare time.
"This has been a difficult year for many people, so we hope you can enjoy your Christmas celebrations, but we really don’t want one of our crews to be joining you for Christmas dinner!"
Alan Gilson, Group Manager - Prevention
More than half of the fires Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service attends at Christmas are caused by cooking. There are simple ways you can reduce your risk of fire in the kitchen:
- Watch out for distractions, such as children, animals or opening presents
- Alcohol can also really affect your judgment around risks, so take care mixing alcohol and cooking
- Make sure you switch off your cooking if you’re going out of the house
- When setting up Christmas lighting, always use extension leads safely - check that plugs are not overloaded, and never use a ‘daisy chain’ of extension leads.
Statistics say Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service will attend at least one fire related to a Christmas tree this year. Keep decorations and the Christmas tree away from sources of heat and flames.
The service also asks if you are travelling this Christmas, to take the following steps to stay safe on the roads:
- Plan your journey
- Take regular breaks to combat tiredness
- Never drink (or take drugs) and drive (think about the morning after too)
- Slow down